bc post-puberty isn't pedophilia (including by the DSM 5)
the relationship would be legal in most developed countries (if frowned upon) if he wasn't a teacher and the minor consents legally and informed (as isn't abused/manipulated etc., the laws or this one are tricky of course, but simply dating someone is legal if the minor (or parents) consents (and is old enough for that) in many countries, including japan (aoc 16, but depends on the prefecture))
so he's a perverted teacher abusing his position and a criminal yes, but not a pedophile (no matter what the aoc is)
the main problem isn't their age but their position in this case, nina isn't a child so the term is incorrect, but it would still be illegal if nina was 17 and the teacher 19
the US law making anyone under 18 a literal child and not having legal teens + consent of minors not counting if their partner is 18+ (w/o romeo&juliet) is a pretty unique concept honestly, and it feels weird to me that so many international stories get judged by that nowadays, since the majority have more situational laws.
(also, some japanese prefectures have an age of consent of 18, so a lot of high school romance is illegal but doesn't make it pedophilia if a 17 y/o dates an 18 y/o lol nor will anyone write a comment like this)
and it's illegal there, it's not accepted there, so i doubt it's more common there than the US honestly (zenkyokyo.net /assert/abnormal/2069)
(which is even one of the reasons it appears in manga so often, bc of the forbidden nature)
Not every us state has the same laws. All states have the age of consent set between 16 and 18, but over half have romeo and juliet. Most age gaps being 3-4 years but some higher. For example California’s age of consent is 18 and they have no romeo juliet laws, where Colorado has a law where a 15 yo could literally be in a relationship with anyone under the age of 25 because of romeo and juliet
And the reason why no one will comment about a 17 yo dating an 18 yo is because most people calling this pedophilia are from the us, where majority of the states have a law that prevents that one year age difference from being illegal. And it’s honestly ridiculous to consider an 18 yo a pedo for dating a 17 yo, especially if when they started dating they were both minors
Do I think it’s more accepted in Japan than it is the US? No, but I definitely think it occurs more if you consider loli culture, and chikan porn, since they’re both very popular and normalized by freaks
And the last part is not okay at all. If they’re equally detested in both the US and Japan then why is that teacher/student and the depiction of ancient mythical beings as little girls in media way more popular in Japan?
(Correct me if I’m wrong I’m tired)
i feel like these sort of student/teacher storylines display just how common it is for them to have relations in japan.. i know yaoi isnt a depiction of japanese reality lol but its true that its quite common for japanese teachers to take advantage of students sexually and honestly less taken seriously than it is here in america. the fact that the teacher was only called a creep or a guy suffering from "marriage blues" who struggles to allow himself to accept his own homosexuality instead of just a fucking pedophile isn't fully doing the topic justice. i dont think this manga and most yaoi like this is meant to be learned from and most people dont look to this type of stuff to consume morals or perfect depictions of abuse but its still something to think about i guess. i do like the art and premise though, its just interesting how this way of writing the character tends to be common in bl ive read.